Full Summary: Alternate Universe, of a sort. "Half-Blood Prince" didn't happen, exactly, thus this tale takes place in what would be Harry Potter's 7th year at Hogwarts. That said, this fanfic follows the misadventures of a group of four Slytherin 7th-years who call themselves 'The Raiders'. They begin as clever pranksters, but as the pranks get more outrageous (and dangerous) the teachers are forced to take measures of ever-increasing severity. But are the Raiders just 'having fun' or is there a more sinister motive behind their 'pranks'? Are they just students with a dark sense of humor, or is more than just their humor 'dark'?
Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter, nor do I own any characters belonging to that world. I do, however, own Taryn van Claw. Dalia Mornhaven, Robyn Aitken, and Kalgo belong to three of my friends and these four characters are, as you might guess, based upon myself and my partners in crime. I give some credit for plot ideas (I will not go so far as to state which ones) to these three friends.
Author's Note: I welcome commentary and constructive critique, but do not appreciate rude remarks of any kind. I'm also willing to address questions posed by readers, should any arise. I write for my own enjoyment and, though I try to keep the HP characters 'real' in their behaviors, there's going to be parts of this story where individuals are depicted acting out of character. This tale will also contain pairings (I refuse to use the term 'romance' as not all relationships will be what one would call 'romantic') between characters of the HP world and the original fancharacters of myself and my three friends. I refuse to reveal who gets paired with who, as I'm not even sure of that myself just yet. I write when the mood hits me during what little free time I have. This is a fanfic based upon a whim, thus written of randomness. Plot suggestions by readers, should any readers have ideas, are welcome...and if such are included in updates to this tale of mine, I'll give credit where credit is due.
Chapter One
The Raiders' Strike!
"So...are we ready, then?"
The hazel-eyed girl surveyed her comrades, smirking slightly at the eager looks in their eyes. This would be the first time they dared live up to the name they'd given themselves. Those moronic Gryffindorks wouldn't know what hit 'em!
"Of course we're ready. We've been ready for an hour now. You're the one who had to change robes because she found a little hole in the hem."
"Oh, and who spent two hours in front of the mirror making sure her hair was perfectly combed?"
"Paws, Fang, knock it off. We're behind schedule as it is."
"Whiskers is right. Come on, gals, we've got a reputation to make."
Kalgo "Fang" Oreimin, Taryn "Paws" van Claw, Robyn "Whiskers" Aitken, and Dalia "Peck" Mornhaven exchanged mischievous grins as they snuck out of the Slytherin common room. The four females were on a mission of mayhem...or so they considered it. The four had been Sorted into Slytherin House as First Years. It had not taken them long to become the best of friends, though they'd kept a low profile in their first years at Hogwarts. Now, as Seventh Years, and after much planning, the four were ready to make themselves known. They already had a reputation for pulling clever pranks within their own House...now they were going to expand that reputation to school-wide.
Taryn took the rearmost position as they snuck silently through the dungeons. She was a strong girl with a muscular build, as befit a Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team. She stood five feet, eight inches, and was slightly tanned from spending so much time outside. Her forest-green eyes and long, silver-streaked dark-brown hair were the two features that made her stand out in a crowd. Not many seventeen-year-olds had silver strands in their hair. She smirked under her hood, wondering how her fellow students would react if they knew the streaking was natural, and not the 'highlights' everyone assumed.
Dalia was in position in front of Taryn. The pale girl stood five feet, ten inches and had an athletic build. She wasn't as muscular as her slightly shorter friend, but she was still an impressive sight. Her eyes, an unusual violet color, immediately unnerved any who met her gaze. Her black hair was styled in ringlets and had an almost feather appearance when in motion. Dalia's friends knew her to be a real jokester, though few others ever saw that side of her.
Robyn crept along in front of the other two girls, silent and graceful as a cat. At four feet, eleven inches she was so short that people thought she was a Second Year. Robyn had learned to take advantage of her short stature, but only after she'd stopped thinking of her height as a curse. In addition to looking far younger than she was, the slim, auburn-haired girl wore glasses. Her silver eyes, hidden behind the spectacles, tended to reflect her feelings. Her three friends claimed it was just as well she had the glasses to hide her eyes, as she'd never be able to get away with 'stretching the truth' if her eyes were fully visible.
Kalgo, who had been accepted as the 'leader' of the group, was the tallest at just under six feet. Her slim build, pale complexion, hazel eyes, and dark, nearly black, hair all combined to make her one of the most striking females in Slytherin. She also had something the others lacked...presence. She had only to walk into a room to get peoples' attention. She also, oddly enough, had a talent for going unnoticed when she wished. Kalgo used that skill now as the four crept out of the dungeons.
"We're in enemy territory. Stick to the plan. Remember, no talking from this point on. And for Salazar's sake don't do something stupid and get us all caught! Right, then...move out."
As Kalgo's whispered words faded into the darkness the four students continued. They doubled their efforts at stealth, each keeping their ears alert for the sound of approaching footsteps. If a teacher caught them out this late...well, they'd probably find themselves suffering through several nights of detention with Filch. Not to mention the House Points they'd loose. With the school year just started, they didn't want to risk the wrath of their fellow Slytherins.
The four crept into the general area of where they knew the entrance of the Gryffindor common room to be. They had yet to discover the exact point of entrance, but their little prank would work just as well without that knowledge. They set about whispering spells as they placed four charmed coins of varying value on the cold floor. The whole operation took less than fifteen minutes and, miraculously, the four managed to reach the safety of their own common room without being caught. Luck had been on their side this night. The four settled down to sleep, still speaking not a word about their little nocturnal outing.
--- --- --- ---
Several hours later found the students of Hogwarts sitting in the Great Hall enjoying breakfast. The four Slytherin girls were chatting as they normally did, but each kept glancing at the entrance to the hall with anticipation in their eyes. Finally, it happened.
There was a commotion just outside the door that heralded the arrival of six very upset Gryffindor Seventh Years. Among them, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and the famous Harry Potter. The whole hall, with the exception of the Gryffindor table, burst into laughter at the sight before them. Four of the students, Potter, Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and a boy the Slytherin girls didn't recognize, had turned Slytherin green with silver snakes. The snakes, everyone soon discovered, were charmed to slither about on the unfortunate Gryffindors as real snakes would. The worst part, however, was that when the students tried to remove the unnatural coloration a quartet of hissing feminine voices yelled "Slytherin Raiders Rule!"
The teachers fought to remain serious, but several were hiding their faces in their hands, and Professor Snape had actually stopped scowling. Professor McGonagall decided that adult intervention was needed and she walked hurriedly from the Head Table. She had an odd look on her face. The woman seemed torn between being outraged and wanting to laugh. She cast her own spell and, after another shout of "Slytherin Raiders Rule!" and no change in the students' color, McGonagall herded the four affected teenagers out of the Great Hall. Presumably she was taking them to the Hospital Wing, though what good that would do was debatable.
The laughter in the hall was now at a near-deafening level. Everyone was wondering who the Slytherin Raiders were. Even the Slytherins didn't seem to know, as they kept casting curious glances at their housemates. Only four seventh year girls didn't bother looking around for the Raiders. A fact which did not escape their Head of House, who was adept at noticing even the slightest of details. Before Professor Snape could make up his mind about what to do with the four females, the Headmaster stood and began to address the students.
"Your attention please...thank you. It seems we have some rather clever pranksters in out midst. While I recognize that the individuals responsible did no harm to their...ah...victims, I must remind you that such pranks are against school rules. As the miscreants are unknown, I'm afraid I must deduct forty house points from Slytherin..."
The Headmaster paused as the Gryffindors snickered and the Slytherins groaned. It seemed that the Raiders, whoever they were, did not have a warm reception when their housemates found out their identities.
"...and...quiet, please...and when the Raiders' identities are discovered, they will serve detention with Mr. Filch. Now, I believe we have a meal to finish."
Dumbledore sat down and continued eating as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The Raiders had stopped laughing, but they couldn't keep the self-satisfied expressions off their faces. Draco Malfoy noticed that the four did not seem to be pondering about the Raiders. He also seemed to be the only student to remember that the Raiders' voices had been feminine. While everyone else exchanged speculative remarks about who the mysterious pranksters could be, Draco kept quiet. He wasn't happy that they'd lost House points, but at the same time he felt it was worth it to see Potter and his friends made to look like such fools in front of the whole school. Draco took a bite of his toast and decided he needed to have a chat with the suspected Raiders. They might prove to be useful allies.
--- --- --- ---
"I thought I was going to die laughing when those Gryffindorks walked into the Great Hall!"
"I know! Those charms worked better than I'd imagined they would. And even McGonagall couldn't remove them! I always knew she was useless."
"Now Fang, give the woman her due. She's good at Transfigurations, but Charms just isn't her thing. I bet Flitwick could've broken the spells if he'd given it a try."
"You think too much of that tiny twerp, Peck. Just because Charms is your best subject, you think Flitwick can do anything."
"I do not! I just mean he's an expert, so naturally something like what we did should be easy for him to break."
"Will you two knock it off? We should be more careful about where we talk about our accomplishments. I don't fancy detention with Filch, and I think some of our fellow Seventh Years are already plotting revenge for the lost points."
"You're too cautious, Whiskers."
"But she's got a point, Paws. Ok...no more about that prank until we get back to our room."
The four turned their discussion to Quidditch. Naturally, they felt that the Slytherin team would beat all the other House teams. Only Gryffindor was likely to give them trouble, what with Potter still playing Seeker. It had given them all great satisfaction when they'd seen that he was among the victims of their little prank. The four were arguing about whether Beaters were more important than Chasers by the time they entered the Potions' classroom.
First class of the day...and with the Gryffindors, at that. Dalia, Robyn, and Kalgo did well enough, but they had no real talent for the subject. Taryn, however, had a real love for potions. Or rather, as the others often teased her, she had a love of the Potions Master. Taryn didn't let personal feelings get in the way of her studies, though. She was truly one of the best students in Potions class, with only a few Ravenclaws, one or two Slytherins, and a certain Gryffindor know-it-all being at her level or better. Taryn dared to think of a prank for the insufferable Granger.
Thoughts of suitable pranks for the genius of Gryffindor ended suddenly as Professor Snape entered the classroom. Taryn's full attention was on her professor as he gave instructions about that day's assignment. It turned out to be a rather tricky healing potion and soon every student's full attention was on brewing the potion properly. By the end of class only Taryn, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Granger had managed to complete their potions properly. Snape dismissed the class.
"Miss van Claw, Miss Aitken, Miss Mornhaven, and Miss Oreimin. You will report to my office after dinner tonight. Do not be late."
The Raiders were surprised at Snape's command, but didn't say anything. They merely nodded and exchanged curious looks with one another. As they headed for their next class Dalia suddenly stopped and looked down. The others saw her pull a small piece of parchment out of her pocket.
"What's that, Peck?"
"No idea. It's not mine."
"So read it already. Maybe you've got a secret admirer."
"You're being silly, Paws. Who'd want to admire Peck? Ouch!"
Dalia smacked Robyn hard on her shoulder. Kalgo stole the bit of parchment while Dalia was distracted, and read it aloud.
"It says 'I like your style, Raiders. Meet me in the Slytherin common room before dinner.' And there's no signature. It's obviously from a Slytherin, but who'd know Peck's a Raider? It's not like we've been advertising who we are."
"Someone observant, and clever. That leaves out a good number of our housemates. I bet it's someone from Potions class. You didn't notice that parchment before class, did you Peck?"
"No, Whiskers. No parchment in my pockets prior to class. I remember because I searched them. I couldn't find my quill."
"So...we gonna meet whoever it is?"
"Peck will meet them. The rest of us will make ourselves scarce. No, we're not leaving her alone, we're just going to be minding out own business in a corner or something."
Kalgo's word was generally accepted as law among the Raiders. She was their leader...she was best when it came to planning. If she thought they should meet with the person who'd figured out who they were, then they'd do as she said. It was a fellow Slytherin, after all. It couldn't hurt to meet them, right? After all, what bad things could possibly happen from meeting a fellow Slytherin in their own common room? Oh, how little they knew...